City of Dreams
by LauraLarua
Summary: Fang/Vanille. Pre-game. After the incident at Euride, Vanille decides to join the purge. But before she does she asks Fang to take her to Nautilus Park where she hopes to have fun one last time before she leaves forever.


City of Dreams

—

"Here we are," said Fang. "Nautilus, City of Dreams."

Vanille was smiling. They had just stepped off the transport boat with all the other tourists and they stood on the dock side by side gazing around at this wonderland, this city in the sea, that they found themselves in. Neonlamps lined the way with tall green ferns swaying in the yellowglow below and latticed blackiron rails fenced the piers and a fountain babbled in the plaza, the water green and shimmering. Overhead the nightsky held a myriad of paleblue stars in glowing clusters and a beautiful moon was rising in the east. Everywhere people were talking and laughing, pointing and gasping, and above it all the sound fairground of music and the rattle of rollercoaster couplings chattered from beyond the gates.

"Wow," Vanille said, glancing about with a smile. "It's amazing."

Fang sighed and shifted agitatedly. "Yeah," she said. "I guess."

"Oh Fang," Vanille admonished. "Don't be such a stick-in-the-mud. You promised you were going to relax and have fun tonight, remember?"

"I remember." Fang rubbed the bandage on her arm, beneath which the brand on her shoulder was scorched and grey. She looked at Vanille. "Just one night though, okay? Tomorrow it's back to figuring out our Focus. We don't have a lot of time. _You_ don't have a lot of time."

Vanille smiled and rolled her eyes but underneath her miniskirt she felt the brand on her outer thigh tingle darkly. As if to remind her. Of what will happen. It gave her a chill but she giggled and took Fang's hand and tugged her along. "Come on, Fang," she said. "Let's worry about the bad stuff tomorrow, okay? Tonight, let's just have fun."

They went down the walkway, among the gaping tourists and grinning locals. Vanille smiling, a skip to her step, her head whipping side to side to see everything, her pigtails swinging. Fang smirking as Vanille ran up to the fountain and dabbled at the water with her fingertips. In the center of the seagreen pool a stone siren poised primly upon a rock with a harp in her hands and a carven coyness upon her eversmiling lips and the girl smiled up at her with a similar smile and then she fell into step alongside her friend and they continued on.

They attracted glances, more so than other tourists. Vanille in her pink halter and frilly miniskirt, adorned with beads and animal fur, Fang in her navyblue sari, draped off her muscled shoulder to display her tribal tattoo. The woman with her spear and the girl with her glee, like some native princess under escort. They looked like tourists even among the tourists, like sightseers from a different world. And so they were.

"So what do you want to do first?" Fang asked. "I'm at your mercy."

Vanille giggled. They passed into an enclosed area where people stood in pairs and groups on the checkered floor grinning up at the wallmonitors. The screens were ablaze with bright color and flashing lights and the girl smiled before scampering over to the nearby pedestal to read aloud from the inscription:

"The Pompa Sancta," she announced. "This festive nighttime dance parade—ooh Fang it's a parade!"

Fang smiled. "Delightful, keep going."

Vanille tucked some hair behind her ear and bent again to the pedestal. "This festive nighttime dance parade depicts the… War of Transgression, in a stylish and dazzling display of pageantry." Vanille looked up at Fang. "War of Transgression?"

"Never heard of it. You?"

"Nope." Vanille looked down at the pedestal. "The production portrays Cocoon Fal'cie as Eidolons who combine their powers with those of flamboyant Sanctum L'Cie in order to overthrow the villainous L'Cie of… Pulse."

Fang screwed up her face. "Villainous?"

Vanille blinked and kept reading, but she didn't read aloud. _In the show's dramatic finale, a pulse L'Cie transforms into an abomination known as … Ragnarok, before finally being slain by a righteous L'Cie of Cocoon._ Vanille stared, her blood running cold. Fang was Ragnarok. Fang was the abomination.

"What is it?" Fang said, sidling up to Vanille. But before she could get a look at the pedestal the girl hipbumped her aside and grabbed her hand. "Come on," Vanille said, giggling. "Let's go see. At the very least it's pretty colors."

They followed the corridor and came out upon a brilliant stage lit in purple neon. They pushed through the crowd, Fang leading Vanille by the hand, people glancing wearily at the woman's spear, and finally they came up before the footlamps. They stood in the violet glow, glancing around.

"You sure you want to see this?" Fang asked, raising her voice above the clamor of the crowd. "Pulse ain't the villains."

Vanille dipped her eyes. But they were. They were the villains. Fang didn't remember because her brand was inactive and she had amnesia but Vanille remembered. They were the ones. Fang was the one. She looked up at her old friend and smiled. "It's just a parade, Fang," she said. And she had to see it. She had to know if it really happened or if it was just a bad dream. "Maybe it won't be so bad."

The parade was starting. Music began and a cheer went up from the onlookers as a thousand holodiscs rained upon the crowd. One of them landed in Vanille's hands and the girl jumped as a holographic eidolon—a cute little aquacolored imp with a ruby in it's forehead—leapt from the disc and twirled before her eyes. Even Fang cracked a grin.

"It's party time, little lady!" cheeped the eidolon, then it flew up in the air leaving a trail of sparkly green fluorescence in it's wake. Every other holodisc held an similar eidolon too and they all flew and grouped over the stage and wove patterns with their trails in the nightsky. Vanille glanced at Fang. The woman was gazing up at the spectacle in some wonder with her dark hair wild about her face and her face flaring in the green glow. In the dark pools of Fang's passionate eyes Vanille could see the eidolons at their antics and she smiled sadly but a smile nonetheless.

By now dancers had materialized over the stage. Feminine in form, blue and elegant figments of grace and beauty swirling over a holographic sea that swelled and rocked gently at the hems of their flowing gowns, a peaceful musical score in the background. But then the music changed and the sea turned to fire and from the crimson flames there manifested a second troupe of dancers. Red and fiery they flared with menace about the stage and crowd before turning to the blue dancers and obliterating them all in a blazing inferno. The crowd gasped in fear and dismay. Fang glanced about. Vanille dipped her eyes.

"I guess Pulse is the red team," Fang said.

Vanille smiled as if it were a joke. But it was no joke and the show went on.

Now there emerged in a burst of flame a fearsome eidolon, bestial in appearance with horns and fangs and sharp claws. It was called Ifrit, and atop it's head rode a L'cie of Pulse, a figure of flame and fierceness, and in a loud voice he announced that he would destroy Cocoon. The crowd gasped, so terrible was the magnificence of the production, and a little girl glanced fearfully at her mother and the mother covered her mouth with her hand. But then there was a gust of wind that trembled the flames and from this gust of wind another eidolon emerged in radiant white, an old man with a long beard and a gnarled staff. Ramuh was his name and he was accompanied by a L'cie of Cocoon, a noble figure of flashing brilliance, and together they engaged the fiery villains while the crowd sent up a cheer. They clashed in a great blaze of sparks and it would seem the heroes were winning but then the Pulse L'cie laughed and transformed into a dark winged creature and—

Vanille gasped. It was Ragnarok.

Fang noticed her friend's distress and despite her own displeasure with the parade she gave the girl a sisterly smile. "Relax, Vanille," she said, putting an arm around her. "They're just holograms. They can't hurt you."

The crowd stood in awe and some drew back from the stage as the creature rose into the night and unfurled it's hideous wings. Black and monstrous, a sinister figure surmised of flame and malice, it reared it's horned head and roared in rage. A tear trailed down Vanille's cheek. It was Ragnarok. It really was. The Cocoon L'cie regarded this monster with a grim set to his heroic jaw and he announced loudly that he would protect Cocoon at all costs and then he transformed too. Into an eidolon named Valefor, a noble bird with brilliant wings and a strong beak, and together with Ramuh he again engaged the foe and Ragnarok gave one last mighty roar before he was dispatched in a brilliant blaze of white fire.

The crowd roared even louder. Vanille glanced at the onlookers and hung her head. Fang's arm was still around her and it was the only comfort the girl had in all the world.

To conclude the parade Cocoon was shown floating above the stage. It's shell was broken and pieces orbited the fractured planet in a haze of gentle mist while a voiceover praised the bravery of the Sanctum and defied the villains of Pulse to rise again. The crowd was clapping and cheering. Smiling. Vanille felt cold inside and it took all her willpower to keep from crying.

"Well," said Fang. "What'd you think?"

Vanille looked up and smiled. She gave a little shrug. "The Carbuncles were kind of cute."

But Fang wasn't even looking at her. She was glaring balefully at the cheering onlookers and she scoffed. "Yeah, well," she said. "The war ain't over yet. We're still here, right?"

Vanille's smile faded. "Fang…"

"These people can cheer if they want, but that parade might have a different ending when we figure out our Focus."

"Fang."

"I know we're supposed to attack Cocoon, they're our greatest enemy. I don't need to remember that, I can _feel_ it. But how? What's our target?"

"Fang."

"Maybe we should just bring the whole place down. That should complete our Focus, whatever it is. But there's no way I'm letting you turn Cei'th, and I don't care if we do have to—"

"Fang!"

When Fang looked down she saw Vanille was close to tears.

"Just stop it," Vanille whispered. "Please."

By now the crowd had calmed and they were standing around talking, marveling at the production, glorying in the Sanctum's power. Smiling and babbling, shaking their heads in wonder, their faces glowing with grins. Children were running around collecting the fallen holodiscs. The stage was still.

Fang hesitated but she was powerless against Vanille's welling eyes. She smiled softly and ruffled the girl's head. "Sorry," she said. "I forgot we're supposed to be having fun tonight. You know it's only because I care about you that I get crazy, right?"

"I know," Vanille said quietly. "I know."

Fang sighed and glanced around. A child ran past and bumped her and she watched it go with a troubled frown but there was no doubt in her heart that all these lives were meaningless beside Vanille's. Finally she turned to her old friend and smiled. "Come on," she said, taking her hand and leading her away. "Tonight's your night and we can do anything you want, okay? You know, I think they've got chocobos at Nautilus Park. Do you wanna go see them? Maybe they'll let you ride one, wouldn't that be fun? Just like the old days."

They pushed through the crowd. Vanille felt small and childlike being led by the hand. People were looking at her but they passed before her glassy eyes like puppets in a gallery. The guilt she felt for her sins was crushing and the love she felt for her friend was worse. She knew she had to leave Fang. If she stayed with Fang then Fang would do something terrible to complete their Focus. Or fall trying. And Vanille couldn't bare that. She could bare many things but she couldn't bear that. Fang's brand was inactive and she'd be okay if only she didn't have to worry about Vanille. She'd be okay. She'd be okay and that was enough for Vanille.

"So, what do you think?" Fang asked. "Wanna see the Chocobo's?"

"Okay," Vanille said. "That sounds like fun."

And she hoped it would be. Because after tonight she would probably never have fun ever again.

When they emerged from the crowd they passed through a corridor and came out before the gates of Nautilus Park. A lavender nebula streaked the nightsky and the stars pulsed in their clustered constellations. The promenade was lit in rainbow neon and everywhere people were walking and running, laughing and playing. Fang and Vanille paused hand in hand under the gaudy gates before this wonderland and Fang glanced at Vanille. Vanille forced a fragile smile and Fang gave her hand a little squeeze and then they passed on through the gates and into the crowd. Into this dreamworld where phosphorant rollercoaster tracks wove among the piers and the sea lapped restlessly at the foundations. This City of Dreams, where the children laugh and harlequin holograms twirl in tableau of one girl's silent sorrow.

—


End file.
